Books from United Kingdom
Writing from the United Kingdom covers a wide range of forms, from novels and detective stories to poetry and essays. The books here come from traditions of fiction, mystery, speculative writing and nonfiction that have developed across the islands over several centuries.
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Contemporary Fiction
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
A children's fantasy novel about a boy who learns he is a wizard and attends a school of magic.
- Angels & Insects by A. S. Byatt. Two novellas set in Victorian England, one built around natural history and one around séances.
Mystery & Thriller
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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
A detective novel in which Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson investigate a family curse on the moors.
- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. A Victorian mystery novel about identity, inheritance and a sinister conspiracy in English country houses.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
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1984 by George Orwell
A dystopian novel about totalitarianism, mass surveillance and the control of people and behaviour.
Poetry
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The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot
A long modernist poem in five parts, and a landmark of twentieth century poetry.
Memoir & Nonfiction
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Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
A memoir about his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War.
- A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf. An extended essay based on lectures about women writers, money and space within a male dominated tradition.
How we choose
These lists start from books Atlas Unread readers can stamp for United Kingdom. Each title and author is confirmed against Wikidata, Wikipedia or library records before it is listed.